LaserDisc

Remember when video discs were the size of LPs?

Years ago, long before the dawn of the DVD or Blu-ray formats, consumer video was strictly all-analog, from the very first broadcasts right up to the introduction of the LaserDisc. The 12-inch, double-sided LaserDisc looked like a giant CD, but the video was analog encoded on two single-sided aluminum discs layered in plastic. The discs that debuted in 1978 had analog audio soundtracks, but later discs featured stereo digital sound. Millions of players were sold in the U.S., but LaserDisc was, even during the height of its popularity, a niche format that appealed mostly to videophiles. It had much … Read more

RCA's 'video LP' format, doomed from the start?

While the LP revival is still in full swing you rarely hear about the other 12-inch, grooved vinyl record format, the RCA VideoDisc.

It was a grooved, carbon-loaded PVC disc. The grooves were 48 times smaller than an LP groove, but they were still tracked with a diamond "needle"! That was possible because unlike an LP's zigzag grooves the CED's grooves were hills and dales. That difference also minimized groove wear, so the discs could be played hundreds of times. VHS and Beta tapes would wear out faster than that. The VideoDisc also had stereo soundtracks.… Read more

Dragon's Lair on iPhone: Fire-blast from the past

Equipped with a great video player and easy touch controls, the iPhone is fast becoming a spot for Laser Disc arcade games of yore to get a second life on the go. First came Space Ace early this year, but for a roll of quarters, iPhone and iPod Touch users can now reach back into their bowling alley/arcade memories and get Dragon's Lair, which was released this week, on the App Store, too. It's a perfect adaptation of the Don Bluth-animated game that I remember all too well from many, many weekends at Chuck E Cheese.

For … Read more

CNET News Daily Podcast: Mobile networks face logjam on Inauguration Day

More than 2 million people are expected to descend on Washington, D.C., this weekend for Barack Obama's inauguration as president. To prepare for the crush of traffic expected on the network from those in attendance, wireless-service providers have pulled out the stops.

CNET News' Maggie Reardon, who will be in D.C. for the event, joins us today to talk about what steps providers are taking to keep their networks up and running.

Also on today's podcast, Circuit City finally calls it quits, Nintendo continues to crush its competitors in video game console sales, another lawmaker asks … Read more

Cue sad music: LaserDisc format officially dead

Anyone still own one of these mammoth Laser Disc (LD) players and oversized optical discs at home? (Psst: I do.) Well, it's finally time to say goodbye as Pioneer--the last major electronics manufacturer to continue making LD players--has recently cut the lifeline of this antique video format.

According to Akihabara News, the company is halting production of all LD players. Victims include the versatile LD/DVD/VCD/CD DVL-919, the hybrid cassette tape-equipped DVK-900, and karaoke-oriented DVL-K88.

On a separate note, the manufacturers are not making disc players like they used to nowadays. Mine is still in pretty good … Read more